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Paralympic champions impress at para-dressage Winter Championships

on 19-02-2018 15:30

European and Paralympic para-dressage champions shone at the Myerscough Para Winter Championships this weekend as they prepare for the summer ahead.

Sophies Wells and Christiansen both won their respective events in Preston as the best in Britain got early year experience under their belts – while there were also victories for Julie Payne and Sir Lee Pearson.

It was Wells, a double European and Paralympic champion from over the past two years, who was twice victorious with wins in the Grade V gold standard.

Wells, riding C Fatal Attraction, triumphed in Thursday’s individual test with a score of 70.71 per cent, more than two per cent ahead of closest rival Charlotte Cundall – on BamBam.

Wells also picked up fourth place in the category atop her second mount, Gladstone, registering a mark of 67.74 per cent.

And she returned to the ring on Friday to triumph once again, this time with a mark of 72.98 per cent to become overall champion.

Eight-time Paralympic champion Christiansen and triple European champion Payne shared the honours in the Grade I gold standard.

Christiansen, atop Amazing Romance, took the honours on Saturday with a mark of 76.61 per cent and Payne just in second, 0.18 per cent behind on Pandora.

Payne turned the tables on Sunday, though, scoring 73.04 per cent with Christiansen behind on 70.98 per cent.

Sunday also saw Sir Lee competing, with the 11-time Paralympic champion edging to victory in the Grade II test with a score of 70.96 per cent atop Zion – just 0.3 per cent ahead of Georgia Wilson on Chico 3.

Wilson was victorious in Saturday’s event, while Izzy Palmer took two victories on Touchdown M in the Grade IV tests during the week.

The other gold standard events saw victories for Jane Lishman on San Quentin QOS in the week’s first Grade III event, before Ashleigh Jones – riding Roemer van Veenord – replaced her at the top of the leaderboard for the second test.